Yo La Tengo spices its show with a dash of chance

New Jersey's chance-taking Yo La Tengo launched its latest tour at the Trocadero on Thursday with a decidedly cagey approach. Make that "Cage-y," as in John Cage, the 20th-century composer celebrated for bringing chance into his music. An ever-resourceful trio since its 1984 formation in Hoboken, N.J., YLT has worked to keep things fresh over a quarter-century of live performance. That means cool covers and great guests. The group's last area show, at WXPN's XPoNential Music Festival in July, included four horn players from Philadelphia's Sun Ra Arkestra, still this planet's foremost space-jazz outfit.

At the Troc, it was the debut of the large, spinning "Wheel of Wonder/Mystery/Confusion/Something," which the band brought out for a contest-winner to spin. What kind of first set YLT would do was determined by where the wheel stopped. The possibilities intrigued, including: a cover spree by Yo La's garagey alter-ego band the Condo [Expletive]s; even the re-creation of an entire episode from a classic TV sitcom. (Yes, Elvis Costello worked similar shtick circa 1986-7, but his "Spectacular Spinning Songbook" governed only one tune at a time.)

Chance delivered to Philly "The Sounds of Science, Pt. 2," a 45-minute instrumental set with drummer-vocalist Georgia Hubley and her husband, singer-guitarist Ira Kaplan, often stretching out on ambient synth/keyboard jams that had an improv feel. Yet they weren't improvs: They were tunes YLT released on an album of soundtrack compositions. "Shrimp Stories" was a particular highlight, a quasi-Latin-jazzy thumper with bassist James McNew loudly powering a funky groove as Hubley's drums rolled and Kaplan's hands danced across the keys.

The satisfying 70-minute second set provided fan faves such as "Moby Octopad," the newer "Nothing to Hide," and feedbackin' rager "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind," with Kaplan requiring two guitars to achieve full ax-throttling catharsis. McNew honored a Devo request by belting out "Gates of Steel," and expressed dismay at learning that Philly's Tastykake company may go under: "I can't . . . I will not live in that world; stay strong, Philadelphia!" The night closed delicately, Hubley's sweet vocal gracing NRBQ's "What Can I Say," dedicated to Sun Ra trombonist Tyrone Hill.